The drama over whether Alex Bregman or Rafael Devers plays third base for the Boston Red Sox doesn’t just impact those two.
It also affects Masataka Yoshida.
Yoshida turned into Boston’s primary designated hitter a season ago, but he could possibly lose that job if the Red Sox decide to move Devers from third base to DH — which would be against his wishes — and put Bregman at the hot corner. And getting back into the outfield would be tough for Yoshida, who started 84 games in left field in 2023, with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu holding down starting spots and Roman Anthony making a push for one, too.
It’s a difficult situation for Yoshida to be in with plenty of uncertainty, too. But he isn’t getting caught up in it.
“It’s out of my control, right?” Yoshida told reporters Tuesday from JetBlue Park via a translator, per team-provided video. “My job is to give it all my best, whatever my job calls for. If it is to DH or if it is to play the outfield, I’m just giving my best. I’m still here on this team. So, I’m just giving everything I got for this team.”
Yoshida is just a little over two years removed from signing a five-year, $90 million deal to join the Red Sox after spending seven seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
Yoshida dealt with a left thumb sprain a season ago and played in 108 games, hitting an underwhelming .280 with 10 home runs and 56 RBIs. He was also hampered by an ailing shoulder, which he had “big” surgery on in October.
The 31-year-old left-handed hitter is still recovering and just started playing catch this week. And while it’s unclear at the moment exactly what Yoshida’s role will be this season, Red Sox manager Alex Cora expects him to factor in someway, somehow.
“Masa’s going to be part of the picture,” Cora told reporters, per team-provided video. “We just got to get him going. Like I said, last year he was a DH. This year, we need him to play defense. It’s a different season.”